How to Share a YouTube Video on LinkedIn

Sharing a YouTube video on LinkedIn sounds like a simple copy-paste job, but how you do it can make the difference between a post that gets ignored and one that sparks conversation and builds your brand. Posting a link is fundamentally different from uploading a video file directly, and each method serves a completely different marketing goal. This guide breaks down the right way to share your videos, why the details matter, and how to choose the best strategy for your content.

Why Sharing Video on LinkedIn Is a Smart Move

Before getting into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." LinkedIn has evolved far beyond a static online resume. It's a dynamic professional network where thought leaders, brands, and creators share valuable content. Video has become one of the most powerful tools in that ecosystem for a few clear reasons:

• It Captures Attention: In a feed filled with text updates, a video that autoplays is visually arresting. It immediately stands out and gives you a better chance of stopping a user's scroll.
• It Builds Human Connection: Video allows you to show your face, convey your personality, and speak directly to your audience. This creates a much stronger, more personal connection than a text post ever could, building trust and familiarity.
• It Simplifies Complex Information: Trying to explain a complicated product, service, or concept in a text post is tough. A short video can demonstrate value, explain a process, or tell a compelling story much more effectively and in less time.
• The Algorithm Favors It: LinkedIn, like nearly every other social platform, wants to keep users on its site for as long as possible. Content that accomplishes this - like natively uploaded video - is often rewarded with greater organic reach in the news feed.

In short, video gives you a direct line to your professional network. Using it effectively can help you establish expertise, generate leads, and build a memorable brand presence.

The Two Core Methods for Sharing Your YouTube Video

You have two primary options when sharing a YouTube video on LinkedIn. They may sound similar, but they produce very different results and are suited for different objectives.

Method 1: Posting the Direct YouTube Link (The Easy Way)

This is the most straightforward method. You simply find your video on YouTube, copy the URL, and paste it into a new post on LinkedIn.

How to Do It:

1. Navigate to your video on YouTube.
2. Click the Share button located beneath the video player.
3. In the pop-up window, click the Copy button to grab the video URL.
4. Go to your LinkedIn home feed and click Start a post.
5. Craft your post text, then paste the YouTube link into the text box.
6. Wait a moment for LinkedIn to generate a preview, which will show your video’s thumbnail, title, and the YouTube domain.
7. Click Post to share.

Pros and Cons of This Method

Pros:

• Fast and Simple: It takes just a few seconds to copy and paste the link. No downloads or uploads required.
• Drives Traffic to YouTube: This method's primary function is sending people from LinkedIn to your YouTube channel. If your main goal is growing YouTube views, watch time, and subscribers, this is the most direct way to do it.
• Consolidates Engagement: All views, likes, and comments happen directly on your YouTube video, keeping your channel’s engagement metrics centralized.

Cons:

• Lower Algorithmic Reach: LinkedIn’s algorithm penalizes posts that send users to an external website. Because a YouTube link takes people off-platform, LinkedIn is less likely to show your post to a wide audience.
• No Autoplay: The video will appear as a static preview image in the feed. Users must actively click the link to watch it, which adds friction and dramatically lowers the number of casual views.
• Poor User Experience: Professionals scrolling through their LinkedIn feed are often not in a mindset to click away to another platform and wait for a new page to load. The experience feels clunky compared to a seamless, in-feed video.

Method 2: Uploading the Video Directly to LinkedIn (The Native Way)

This method involves taking your original video file (the same .MP4 or .MOV you uploaded to YouTube) and uploading it directly to LinkedIn as a new post. It exists on LinkedIn as its own, separate piece of content.

How to Do It:

1. Find the original video file on your computer. Important: Do not use a third-party tool to rip the video from YouTube, as this violates YouTube's terms of service and results in a lower-quality file.
2. On your LinkedIn home feed, click Start a post.
3. Click the Video icon in the post creation options.
4. Select the video file from your computer and click Open.
5. LinkedIn will begin processing the upload. While it does, you can add a Video title (highly recommended), upload a custom thumbnail, and add a caption file (.SRT) for viewers who watch with the sound off.
6. Write your descriptive post text in the main body.
7. Click Post when you're ready.

Pros and Cons of This Method

Pros:

• Massively Higher Organic Reach: This is the big one. Because native video keeps users on LinkedIn, the algorithm heavily favors it. Your post is far more likely to be shown to your connections and beyond.
• Autoplay in the Feed: Native videos automatically start playing (muted) as users scroll, making your post much more eye-catching and likely to stop someone's thumb. This significantly increases initial views and engagement.
• Enhanced Viewer Experience: The video plays seamlessly within the LinkedIn interface. Users can watch it, read your post, and comment without ever leaving the platform.
• Better On-Platform Analytics: LinkedIn provides detailed analytics for native video, including views, view duration, and demographics of your viewers (like job title and company), providing valuable insights into your audience.

Cons:

• Does Not Drive Traffic to YouTube: Since the video lives on LinkedIn, it does nothing to increase your YouTube channel's view count or subscriber numbers.
• Requires an Extra Step: You need to have the original video file on hand and take the time to upload it again, which takes longer than a simple copy-paste.

Which Approach Is Right for Your Goals?

The best method depends entirely on what you want to achieve with your post. There's no single "correct" answer, only the best strategic choice for your immediate goal.

Choose the YouTube Link When…

• Your number one goal is to get more views, subscribers, and watch time on your YouTube channel.
• The video is a long-form interview, a podcast episode, or a detailed tutorial that makes more sense to watch on YouTube’s dedicated video platform.
• You are announcing a brand new video and want to funnel everyone to the primary source for a launch-day boost.

Upload as a Native Video When…

• Your number one goal is to maximize reach, engagement (likes, comments, shares), and visibility on LinkedIn itself.
• You want to build your personal brand or company’s presence as a thought leader within the LinkedIn ecosystem.
• The video contains a short, powerful message, a quick tip, or a highlight reel that can stand on its own to spark a conversation.

Pro-Level Strategies to Maximize Your Video's Impact

Once you’ve chosen your method, you can use these techniques to get even better results.

The "Teaser and Link in Comment" Hybrid Strategy

Want the best of both worlds? This powerful strategy gives you the algorithmic boost of native video while still funneling interested viewers to your YouTube channel.

Here’s how it works: Instead of uploading your full video, create a short, compelling teaser clip (30-90 seconds long). This could be the most interesting part of the video, a highlight reel, or a direct-to-camera intro explaining what the full video covers. Upload this teaser as a native LinkedIn video. Then, in the body of your post, write a caption that tells people they can watch the full video by clicking the link in the first comment. After you publish the post, immediately add a comment with the link to the full YouTube video.

This approach wins because the algorithm sees a native video and gives it preferential treatment, while your most engaged viewers get a clear path to your YouTube channel.

Write a Caption That Stops the Scroll

The video is only half the battle. Your caption needs to provide context and encourage interaction. A great video with a weak caption will underperform.

• Lead with a Strong Hook: The first one or two lines are what people see before clicking "see more." Make them count. Start with a bold statement, a relatable problem, or a thought-provoking question.
• Add Context: Briefly explain what the video is about and why someone should care. What are they going to learn or gain from watching it?
• Include a Call to Action (CTA): Don't just show the video, tell people what to do next. The easiest and most effective CTA on LinkedIn is to ask a question to encourage comments (e.g., “What’s the biggest challenge you face with X? Let me know in the comments.”).
• Use Relevant Hashtags: Add 3-5 relevant hashtags at the end of your post. This helps people outside of your network discover your content when they search for topics you covered in your video.

Don't Just Post and Ghost - Engage!

The work isn’t done once you hit "Post." The first hour after publishing is critical. As comments come in, respond to them as quickly as possible. This signals to the LinkedIn algorithm that your post is fostering valuable conversation, which prompts it to show your post to even more people. Engaging with your audience not only boosts your reach but also builds community and relationships.

Final Thoughts

Choosing between posting a direct YouTube link and uploading a native video on LinkedIn is a strategic decision that hinges on your goals. For driving YouTube traffic, the link is direct, but for maximizing on-platform engagement and reach, a native upload is undeniably superior. Using a hybrid approach with a native video teaser gives you an effective way to achieve both.

Trying to remember the optimal video specs, caption strategies, and scheduling times for each social platform can feel like a full-time job. That's actually why we built Postbase. We wanted a tool designed for the way social media actually works today, with a video-first approach. It lets us upload a clip once and seamlessly schedule it as a native video across LinkedIn and a YouTube Short, all while easily customizing the caption for each platform from a single calendar. It removes the hassle from optimizing your content so you can focus on creating good conversations.